What To Bring To A Boozy Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving can be a tricky holiday; travel’s an expensive shit show so maybe you’re not making it home for mom’s yams and fireball shots with your high school crew. It’s all good because hopefully you’ve got some generous souls in your circle of friends that are in the same boat and are kind enough to throw a proper stand-in Friendsgiving. Not only do you not have to deal with your drunk uncle’s potentially racist jokes but you’re also getting lit with you friends over some great food. Be warned though, you always want to show up with a worthwhile contribution to the event, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because you definitely want to guarantee an invite next year. Don’t blow it and show up with a bag of tortilla chips, here’s what to bring to keep everyone in the holiday spirit.

The More Booze The Better
One of the easiest ways to avoid mixing drinks all night is to bring your own big batch cocktails. You can’t go wrong with some type of punch or a doctored up sangria. Even though sangria is mostly associated with the summer, there are plenty of great ways to amp it up Thanksgiving-style. Like, say, adding Fireball. This Fireball Sangria recipe is sure to please the crowd, and, bonus, you get booze soaked fruit to snack on. On the punch end, choose a simple cranberry-vodka version. It’s a cocktail favorite that lets you stick with Thanksgiving’s most common fruit and keeps the recipe simple. Allow yourself a few hours for refrigeration, so the flavors have an opportunity to blend. Sure, you can serve it out of pitchers but a large bowl or pot with a ladle is definitely way more fun. We give you an hour before you’re chugging the delicious nectar right out of the ladle.

A Proper Thank You
Don’t limit yourself to food and drink. The hosts likely worked hard putting this shindig together (not to mention they’re going to have to clean up the post-party remnants in the morning) so they deserve a proper thank you. Keep it cocktail themed with a home-brewing kit, like the Untold Goods Barrel Aged Cocktail Kit, for aging a favorite cocktail in just two weeks. Beer drinkers will love the Beer Loft, a set of magnetic strips for the fridge that keep the bottles on the ceiling inside, allowing space for more beer.

Food Made Easy
If find yourself in a potentially disastrous pot-luck situation and your invitation has the dreaded “please bring food” request, don’t freak out. Sure, the average man will just go the store-bought route, but whipping up a delicious dish is easy and you’re better than a shitty, store-bought vegetable platter. Our favorite? Cornbread. It’s super easy, delicious, and, shit, everyone loves cornbread. You don’t have to make it from scratch either, just give it a bit of personality. Start with any good store bought mix and before baking add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 2 chopped jalapenos, and, for good measure, a handful of cooked, chopped bacon. Boom. Instant hero. For something a little more unexpected but nearly as quick to knock out, try this dead simple, easy-to-make ahead of time dish of jalapeño-roasted potatoes. It’s a delicious break from the traditional potato dishes you see around the holidays.

Got Game?
Beer pong or flip cup can only go on for so long and depending on the size of the group, a killer game like Cards Against Humanity can bring new life to the party. Alternatively, if you want to learn a few new things about your friends and gain some rock-solid future blackmail material to boot, Never Have I Ever is the perfect one-two punch.

Bring In Reinforcements
While they’re not as flashy, everyone can appreciate bringing back up supplies, especially when the post dinner drinking kicks in and you start running out. You’ll be an instant MVP when you bust out a back up stash and help the hosts keep the drinks flowing. This can be as simple as plastic cups and a bag of ice, and usually this is the stuff that runs out pretty quickly as a party fills up and people forget where they put their drinks. A nice bottle of your favorite liquor (or extra drink mixers) is always a good move too. Try Ménage à Trois vodka, Angostura 5-year rum and Lunazul tequila, they’re all readily available, get rave reviews and are under $20 a bottle. Sure, a 12-pack of Bud Light works, but something stronger, more useful, or unique is always a better move.